VISCOSITY

Viscosity is a measure of the ease at which a fluid (a liquid or gas) would flow against a fixed
boundary wall such as a pipe wall. Viscosity is a measure of the resistance to flow for a given
liquid. The energy losses due to friction in a fluid are dependant on the fluid viscosity.

When fluid moves in a pipe the fluid against the wall will flow slower than that further away
from the wall. The boundary wall is fixed and offers a large drag on the fluid. The fluid in
contact with the wall will essentially be static.

In the diagram below, the arrows indicate the velocity of the fluid at intervals between a fixed
and moving plate. The fluid in contact with the fixed plate will be essentially static, while
that in contact with the moving plate will move at the same rate.

Moving boundary wall.

Fluid velocity profile

Fixed boundary wall.

The shear stress (τ), or force per unit area, will be directly related to the
velocity gradient (Δv/Δy), the ratio between change in velocity (Δv) and change in layer
distance (Δy) in the fluid. The constant of proportionality is the dynamic viscosity (μ).

shear stress (τ) = F = μ . Δv (where μ is the dynamic viscosity)

A Δy

Question: What are the units of dynamic viscosity?

The dynamic viscosity (μ) varies considerably with temperature; car engine oil may need to be
warmed in very cold climates to allow the engine to be turned over fast enough to start. If the
oil is made thinner at the cold temperature, it will likewise be thinner at the engines operating
temperature and fail to protect the bearings.

Fluids may also be described in terms of their kinematic viscosity (υ), the ratio of dynamic
viscosity (μ) and density (ρ)

kinematic viscosity (υ) = μ

ρ
Viscosity coefficients for some fluids

Fluid Temp Dynamic Kinematic

viscosity (μ) viscosity (υ)
Pa.s m2/s
CO2 20°C 15 μ 12 μ
Air 20°C 18 μ 15.1 μ
Petrol 20°C 290 μ
Water 90°C 320 μ 0.3 μ 1 N/m2 = 1 Pa

Water 20°C 1m 1μ
Blood 37°C 2m
Motor Oil 0°C 0.11 1000 μ
Motor Oil 20°C 0.03 437 μ
Motor Oil 80°C 0.01
Heavy oil 10°C 0.108
Glycerine 20°C 1.5 1100 μ

Example 1

(a) A journal bearing surface in a car engine has an effective surface of 10 cm by 2 cm,
−
the oil gap is 100 μm. Find the force required for a journal velocity of 0.6 ms 1.
Assume the engine is at working temperature of 80°C.

(b) Relatively, how much more force is required at normal ambient temperature when first
started?

Laminar and Turbulent Fluid Flow

The above descriptions assume laminar fluid flow, when the velocity of fluid exceeds a
certain value the flow becomes turbulent creating eddies in the fluid, we can no longer
analyse the flow in the manner described above.

Dye track in fluid

Laminar Transitional Turbulent

Reynolds’s Number

It is critical to know if the fluid you are dealing with is in turbulence or not. You can test it
practically, but it may be better to predict approximately before testing. Osborne Reynolds
produced a method to predict this, if the Reynolds number is below around 2000 it is likely to
be laminar flow, above this it would be turbulent.

This figure has no units (dimensionless) and is found from:

Re = V.d
υ where:
V is mean fluid velocity
d is the pipe diameter
υ is kinematic viscosity

Example 2

−
Heavy oil is pumped from the ground at 4 ms 1 average velocity, if the pipe diameter is 10 cm,
determine if the flow is likely to be turbulent.

Assume the density of oil to be 930 kg/m3 and extraction temperature around 10°C.

Pressure Loss in Pipes

When an incompressible fluid flows in a pipe friction losses will cause energy loss. The
velocity must be constant down the pipe, so what is lost?

It is easier to push the fluid nearer the open end than further up the pipe, for the same flow
rate, so it must be pressure that is ‘lost’.

MANOMETER PRESSURE GAUGE

The longer the pipe, the greater the pipe resistance and hence more force required to get the
same flow rate. This has obvious analogy with electronics; if the resistance is increased the
electromotive force must be increased for the same current flow. The emf drops as we move
down the resistance to the 0V reference (open end of pipe).
G.S.Donald//opt/scribd/conversion/tmp/scratch2929/47525245.doc/07/12/2010